State inspectors investigate accident at Magic Mountain’s Ninja ride

In this frame grab from video made on Monday, July 7, 2014 and provided by KTLA-News, workers at the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park rescue people trapped on the Ninja roller coaster after a tree fell onto the tracks, dislodging the front car. The accident left four people slightly injured and kept nearly two-dozen others hanging 20 to 30 feet in the air for hours as day turned to night. Two of the four injured people were taken to a hospital as a precaution, but all the injuries were minor, fire and park officials said. (AP Photo/KTLA-5 News)

VALENCIA>> State inspectors returned to Six Flags Magic Mountain on Tuesday to investigate how and why a pine tree fell across the tracks of the Ninja roller coaster ride, causing one car to derail.

Four of the 22 people stranded on the ride Monday were transported to local hospitals and were treated and released, after a 30 to 40 foot tall pine tree fell on the track. The fallen tree caused the first car on the ride to derail. Los Angeles County fire crews rescued the stranded riders using cherry pickers.

Inspectors with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health were on scene to determine how the accident happened, spokesman Peter Melton said.

“Cal/OSHA is asking for a certified arborist to check out the tree,” Melton said. Ninja “will be offline until they figure it all out.”

Ninja is described as a suspended swinging roller coaster in which riders whip around the track at 55 mph. There are four coasters of its kind in the nation, according to Magic Mountain.

Riders appeared to be stuck on the coaster at the corkscrew portion of the track for more than an hour after fire officials received a call about the accident.

Data from the federal OSHA office show there have been four accidents at Magic Mountain in the past 10 years. None involved Ninja, and most involved injuries to employees on other rides. But in 2008, a 21-year old man was struck unconscious by a car on the ride when he lost his hat and climbed two security fences to retrieve it, according to news reports.

Magic Mountain spokeswoman Sue Carpenter said in a statement Monday that the safety of guests and employees was the park’s priority.

“As a precaution, the ride will remain closed until a thorough inspection of the area is complete,” she said.